Merry New Year (LOTS OF PICS)...

Once again I have found myself in the blog slump!! It is January 25th and I have not even done a Christmas post! One of my goals for 2012 is TRY to blog more! I know that one day the girls would love to look back and read these posts. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

We had a fabulous Christmas at our house! Addison had decided months before Christmas that she wanted a puppy and not just ANY puppy she was very specific with her requests. She wanted a dachshund puppy!

I have to give a HUGE thank you to Caroline over at Simply Smithwick, she helped "Santa" by telling him which breeder he should call and has been a wonderful resource for us newbies!! Thank you Caroline for letting me text you daily with all my doxie questions!! I appreciate it more than you know!!

This is the puppy Santa picked for Addison. We were so fortunate because even though he was born on August 3rd the breeder held him until Santa could come pick him up on Dec. 23rd!

Making the ride with "Santa" home to a very special little girl!!

Many of you know that Addison just adores Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with all her heart so she chose the name Rudy for her puppy. I thought that was very appropriate for a Christmas puppy!!

Rudy sporting his fashionable coat. He does seem to enjoy clothes too much just yet.

He is already spoiled rotten and that is perfectly fine with me. I know that he was Addison's gift but I am totally smitten with him too!! He laying his head on my pillow as he naps, yep already spoiled!

Addison's first week back at school she checked out a dachshund book from her school library. She is totally all things dachshund now, she even wants a dachshund themed birthday party!

Addison has two stuffed weenie dogs from Build A Bear, so one Sunday after church we decided to see if Rudy would mind wearing the Build A Bear costume. He looked awful cute but would not move an inch with that hot dog on his back!

January 16th - first visit to vet

He is very much a snuggle bug and we all love it. He wants to get all under the covers just like we do!!

Santa brought the perfect gift for this girl! He is absolutely her new best friend.

Alpine Village

Last year we were first time visitors to the Alpine Village at Trinity Baptist Church. It was such a fun Christmas outing for Addison that we have decided to add it to our Christmas "must-do" list.

In a nutshell, they turn the gym of Trinity Baptist Church into the Alpine Village. They have several small buildings such as, the candle shop, the card shop, and the book store. I believe that there were 10 or 11 shops in all. The children get to go into each shop, which is fabulously decorated like gingerbread houses and make a small craft. Addison made a candle, an ornament, an angel, reindeer food, a toy decorated a cookie, and picked out a book! Oh and the best part of all - the upstairs of the church is transformed into the North Pole with Santa, Mrs. Clause and elves! It is really a fun and festive time for the family as well and the last stop is a live nativity scene. It helps us to remember the true meaning of this wonderful season. This year my niece was able to join Addison at the Alpine Village, here are a few shots. Thanks to my sister in law for these pics; I forgot my camera!!

Charlotte and Addison inside the gingerbread shop.

The girls inside the snowman shop. You can see Charlotte's snowman in the bottom left hand corner of the picture. Oh and you can see the fake snow in Char's hair - they have a play area of fake snow that is just amazing to the kids!!

Sweet cousins telling Santa what they want for Christmas!

I must post a Tiny the elf update! He has made snowmen out of marshmallows and he took a ride on our Rudolph decoration!!

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season with whatever outings may come your way!

Cha..Cha...Cha

Last Monday night was "Family Night" at Addison's dance studio. Here is a sneak peak at her dances this year. I love that they are doing the GLEE version of True Colors for their ballet number!! Love the show and the song!!

This next video makes me chuckle - I do not think that Addison understands that she can bend her leg at the KNEE. Bless her heart she is gonna lose her balance trying to kick with such a stiff leg!!

I think that Momma is gonna have to bust our her old dancing skills and help the girl master the shuffle step!!

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time...

We have had so much festive fun around our house this Christmas season! We have gone to several Christmas concerts and watched MANY Christmas movies.

However, I would NOT suggest you go see Arthur Christmas. Addison and myself were not crazy about it at all!! I think that Shawn enjoyed it okay - it really was a sci-fi spin on Christmas that I just did not get into at all. Addison's favorite part was this video that was shown before the movie!!

We have had some rainy and cold weather the past few weeks, so Addison and I made our 2011 Gingerbread house!! These are so fun to do but, Addison is constantly wanting to eat the candy and not decorate!!

Our pesky little elf had a snowball fight in Addison's room last week. Just look at this mess he made!! He had cotton balls all over her floor and bed!! Oh my, I just walked in the kitchen and he was making snowmen with mini marshmallows, I must go snap a picture!! :)

Tiny, you sure have been a sneaky and messy boy this year!!!

Hope your holidays have been wonderful so far...

Stop That Elf!!!

Addison's "Elf On The Shelf" came for his yearly visit the weekend before Thanksgiving. Boy, has "Tiny" been super mischievous this trip!!

He has hidden inside our cabinets and under cups!!

He did bring Miss A a JB ornament as a gift for being such a great helper around the house lately!! (100% her idea to give the ornament a smooch!)

He went into A's dresser and decorated our living room with her undies!!!

Oh, Tiny - how embarrassing!!! She her undies hanging on the stockings!!

He even "rolled" the girls bathroom in toilet paper!!

Oh my goodness - I just walked into Addison's room and he is having a snowball fight with cotton balls!!! Let me go and stop that pesky little elf!!! If you have an elf at your house is he sneaky like ours???

Plenty To Be Thankful For - Blog Swap Reveal!!

I'm THANKful for my blog swap partner!!!!!
Before I get to all the fun stuff, let me just say how much FUN I had with this blog swap and challenge!! I had been in a blog lull and this is just what I needed to snap me back into blog mode!! Thank you to Caroline, Courtney, Kristine, Meghan, and Sam for hosting such a fun and interesting challenge!
My blog swap partner was actually a match made in heaven! Seriously, Jules and I have so much in common and I had an absolute blast shopping for her!! So, without further ado let me show you all the great goodies Jules sent me! First, let me say that she sent this darling note explaining why she picked out each item for me. It was so cute and I wanted to snap a picture to share with everyone but cannot find it anywhere!! :(
How cute is this stationary! Jules sent a little note saying how much she loved stationary and how much fun it is to still get "snail mail" from friends. I have to agree! I love going to the mail and finding notes or cards from friends, "just because..." I love that the stationary had the pineapple, a symbol for friendship, on it; I thought that was very fitting!
Did someone mention Twilight? Yes, I am one of THOSE crazy Twilight fans!! I love that Jules picked out this hand cream for me in the perfect scent of Twilight Woods. It smells so wonderful, now if that Edward Cullen would just show up around my house that would be lovely!
Have you girl seen this cute lip balm in this little pod? I had never heard of it but, Jules said it was one of her favorites and I have to agree. I have used this every single night before bed and I am in LOVE! You can read more about this EOS lip balm on their website.
How great is this essie nail color? I actually have a nail appointment today and will be taking this polish with me. I cannot wait to see how it looks on, I just love a classic pale pink polish.
How fun is this ring? Its big and blingy with a lil color, just fabulous! I wore this a few times over the long weekend and got many compliments! P.S. Ignore my nails - remember in the paragraph above, I have a much needed nail appointment today!
Thank you so much JULES - you made my first ever blog swap such a joy!! I look forward to getting to know you more out in the blog-o-sphere!!
I cannot wait to see all the other swap reveal post today!!

Plenty To Be Thankful For - Black Friday and Leftovers

I'm THANKful for Black Friday and Leftovers!!
In the past, I have been one of those crazies that tackled Black Friday sales. This year, not so much. Shawn actually saw a few deals on some items he had on his Christmas List and decided he would attempt to conquer the crowd. I know, I know, poor guy going to buy his own gifts!! He went to three different places and with MUCH frustration left without any purchases! After hearing the play by play of his trip, I decided that I would stay at home this Black Friday!!
Now, I am not a big football fan, but with all the posts on Facebook about the Arkansas vs. LSU game I felt like I should be!! I kept up with the game as much as my attention span would allow, I think I dozed a few times!! Congrats to LSU, even though I was pulling for the Razorbacks because of dear friend who are devoted Razorbacks!
Later we went to my parents for leftovers! I think that I am over the turkey, dressing and casseroles until Christmas! Don't get me wrong the food was delicious, but after two days of it I am done.
Once home and in our comfy clothes we settled in and watched some Christmas specials. First, we watched "The Elf on The Shelf"It was a very cute show and it really made Addison's imagination go wild. Before bed she wrote a letter to her elf and left it for him on our Christmas tree. Tiny has made a paper snowflake with a little message for Miss A to find in the morning! Have I mentioned how much I love the fun and memories we make with our elf??!!??
Once Momma time kicked in I decided to continue the Christmas theme and watch "Love Actually". I had heard so many good things about the movie and I have to agree with all of them. It was such a great Christmas love story, it will be a must watch for Christmases to come!!

I am such a lover of music and I thought this soundtrack was fantastic!! Santa?? Are you listening??

Our Black Friday was absolutely perfect, how was yours?